


Noticed

by WishStone



Category: Persona 4
Genre: A Bit Closer, F/M, fanfic of a fanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-02-21
Packaged: 2018-09-25 06:00:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9806339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishStone/pseuds/WishStone
Summary: 1/14/2012 - A snowy winter's day.Naoto, after a poorly-timed confession from Kanji, tries to cope with the implications of what his words mean for him, for her, and for them. Thankfully there is always the man who raised her and who knows her like no other to turn to.This fic ties in directly to the doujinshi made by Team atelierMuse between January and March 2016. Chapter one was written as a birthday gift to Kris. Chapter two was written for Simon's birthday. Thanks again for letting me play with your things; and for letting me share this with everyone.





	1. Noticed, Part One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KrisRix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrisRix/gifts), [Simon Gannon](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Simon+Gannon).



> If you do not know the doujinshi, I strongly encourage you to pick them up at [ http://atelierMuse.storenvy.com/ ](https://tinyurl.com/gqp5ml4) \- and make sure to give Kris and Simon your feedback, your eternal love, your firstborns - whichever you feel you need to offer up after reading! If you'd like a printed version of the three doujin, Kris told me there are a few left at [their store](https://tinyurl.com/y7x4gbg9) as well! ^^

 

Leaning beside the window, the blue-haired Shirogane-heiress watched snowflakes drift into the growing layer out on the street. The snowfall outside would not ease up this afternoon, the news had said. Naoto shook her head and turned back to her living room. Her tea, cold and bitter, stood accusingly on the table. With a small sneer, she picked up her mug, carried it into the small kitchen, poured the now ice-cold and bitter tea out, and attempted a new cup.

Today had been distracting; and having spent an hour at home already, her mind still was not at rest. Nevertheless, what now? Was she expected to behave in any specific manner now? What would change if she did? Did she need to be closer? Remain at a greater distance? What?

Frowning was a not habit she intended to pick up; however, she found herself moping out of the window once more only a few minutes later. Her memories seemed stuck in a loop; she just kept seeing it. The panic on Tatsumi’s face. The way his voice quavered. The raw _fear_. Again her hand drifted to her chest, resting over the uneasy squeeze the memory brought.

Emotional connections were something of a challenge to her, as, well, this whole situation had brought to light. She needed someone else to bounce the problem off of. Preferably, _not_ from anyone who knew the young tailor personally - making calling any of her friends impossible.

She pulled her phone from her pocket and leaned next to her living room window, hitting speed dial without even looking. Her breath misted on the window while she waited. Doubts if this call was truly the right one stormed her in rapid succession. When she heard her call connect, her breath caught.

“Good evening, dear. This is a surprise.”

“Hello, Grampa. Is this an okay time to call?”

“Of course. It is always good to hear from you.” He paused and continued in a softer voice, “With how rarely you call, you must have something on your mind. Did the last set of files I sent you cause any problems?”

The girl ruffled her hair for a few moments and then leaned her back to the wall back beside the window with a soft sigh. “No.” Her eyes moved through her sparsely decorated apartment. “Moreover, I am not sure if I should treat what is on my mind as a case. It might make matters… unfitting.”

Something that sounded like worn leather creaking came from the other side, followed by the small sound of ice clinking against glass as her Grandfather sipped his early-evening aperitif. “All right, I am all ears, dear.”

Leaning back to rest the back of her head against the wall, Naoto studied the ceiling, unseeing. “I have, in the past, mentioned a fellow student a few times. Tatsumi-kun?”

“Ah, yes, the boy who was in your parallel class at Yasogami in your first year.”

“The very same.” She paused to select her next words carefully. “This year, we actually share homeroom classes. He is a friend, much like Narukami-senpai, or Rise-san. There are countless good memories connected to him and I am glad to call him an intimate and a comrade.”

There was a brief pause where neither spoke. Then the voice on the other end of the line said softly, “It’s not like you, dear, to ramble or avoid the topic of a matter.”

At this comment, Naoto laughed gently, pushing herself away from the wall to go sit on her couch. “It really is out of character, is it not?” She let herself drop and reached to fidget with a loose thread on the side of the armrest. A stray thought informed her that Tatsumi-kun would have been the one to notice such things and possibly fix them expertly. “Something happened today.” Naoto resumed toying with the thread. “One of the ribs of my umbrella jammed up; and when forcing it to open, it tore. Tatsumi-kun offered me his own; however, he is currently suffering from a cold. I found it unacceptable he would forego shielding himself. As such, I told him I would be pleased to share walking under it, but I would not take it from him.” She trailed off and sighed, leaning back, gazing at the ceiling once more. “Actually… The scene grew heated.”

After a few moments of silence, ice and glass collided softly once more on the other end of the line. The chair creaked and she pictured the man who raised her, as he thoughtfully leaned back into his seat. “You had an argument then?” Her grandfathers’ voice was gentle and she could hear mild worry in it.

“Yes. Well. No…” Her brows pulled down. “Somewhat. You see, he refused to walk with me at first. It took me a while to realise he did so because of the implied romantic gesture born from walking with a girl under an umbrella – or, as it were, seemingly walking with a boy...”

“Ah, I think I see. Well, if that was his concern, all it would take is for you both to face any such rumour and address it with those who’d misunderstand.”

“Which is very much what I tried to tell him, but…” She bit her lip and leaned forward again, bracing her free arm’s elbow against her knee. “The problem for him was not the rumours. The problem to him,” she said, pausing for a deep breath, “is that he appears to have an interest in me.” She paused, waiting for a reaction. When none came, she continued, “And-And looking back, at the way he has behaved around me in the past year, I would surmise that he has had an interest in me for quite some time.”

Of all the reactions she had expected, a soft chuckle and a somewhat larger swallow from his drink were not high on her list. “I see.”

The girl’s mouth dropped open. “Are you… laughing at me?”

“Maybe a little bit, dear.”

“What! Why?!”

“Because you sound so surprised. From what you had told me if your friends, I had been wondering about this very issue a while now.”

“Grampa!”

“No, really,” the elder Shirogane continued, mirth now thick in his voice, “you underestimate yourself in some ways, frequently, and some of these things you like to forget about are your more private qualities. That a boy would notice these was only a matter of time, now that you are interacting more with your peers.”

Naoto pulled her legs up onto the couch while she worried her lip under her teeth gently. “I’m not sure what to do, Grampa. I never had to deal with this. I never invited it or wanted this. Friendship already turns out to be a considerable drain on my free time. Adding courtship and romance…”

“Well, let me see.” Something creaked, he possibly settled back on the leather chair in his study. “By your tone of voice, you are not completely against the idea and not absolutely in favour of it. You seem, as it were, on the line between rejection and approach. Any choice made would impact your social net established.” A sip. “However. I also remember you speaking of Tatsumi-kun fondly a number of times.” He stopped and she made an affirmative noise. He echoed it and continued. “Would it be correct to assume you’d rather have more time to think?”

As he waited for her reply, Naoto shifted, one leg returning to the ground as she reached for her mug. She did not want to drink, but her hands felt restless, she needed to hold on to something. “I do not feel like I have more time…” She stared into the mug, her fingertips running back and forth over the rim. “He sounded so afraid, Grampa,” she whispered. “I think he had not meant to let me know. And now I do… something will be expected of me.”

“Hm.” Another pause. Then, “Tell me, Naoto. Do you enjoy is companionship?”

She nodded, remembered she was on the phone and quietly confirmed.

“Then you may simply need to establish that you wish to remain his friend. And if you feel you wish to explore any romantic inclina-“

“I will stop you there, Grampa,” she jumped in, a blush creeping onto her cheeks.

“Well. As you wish. Did this help?”

“Yes. I think… I will now go and buy myself a new umbrella. And … stop by Tatsumi-ya.”

“That sounds reasonable. I’ll be here for you, dear.”

“Thank you, Grampa. Have a good evening.”

“And you.”

 

**Two weeks later**

 

Naoto came home, dropped her book bag beside the living room table and opened her laptop to check her emails. One stood out, simply by how short it was. It was a massage from her grandfather:

 

> _We have not talked in a while. Give your old grandfather a call when you can._

She smiled fondly and closed her laptop. There was no reason to wait on the call and she felt like she would enjoy calling home. She let herself sink to the couch, opening the top buttons on her shirt, waiting for her grandfather to answer.

“Hello, dear.”

“You are not old, Grampa.”

He chuckled. “I see you got my email. How are you?”

She smiled and leaned on the armrest of her couch. “I am doing really well. I just came home from a study group with Rise-san and Kanji-kun.”

“Kanji-kun?”

“Ah…” She smiled, feeling a small wave of unexpected warmth pass over her. “I meant… Tatsumi-kun.”

“Oh, Tatsumi’s first name is Kanji?”

“Yes,” she said softly.

“I see.”

“Are you laughing?”

“No, just happy.”

“Hm.” She sounded sceptical.

“So, you were studying with Rise-san and Kanji-kun…?”

“Well. Yes,” she continued, deciding that his mirth in this matter did not warrant changing the topic, “both of them lack the focus to absorb basic information during class, so I wanted to ensure that they are prepared for the upcoming exams.”

His leather seat creaked and Naoto smiled, picturing him seated behind his desk. “How have things been with the young Tatsumi?”

Her smile halted and slowly drained from her lips. “It … Hm. Honestly? I have yet to notice much of a difference. I went to see him after our last phone conversation.”

“I had been meaning to ask about that.”

“Yes,” she replied drily,” I thought as much.” Both chuckled and she continued. “I promised him that… Ah. Well. I requested we continue being friends.” She was not sure if her spontaneous promise of never making him lonely was something she could talk about – especially because her ears still started to glow pink when she looked back at that part of their conversation.

“Well, that sounds pleasant! I remember you being worried about your friendship. Since he… well… confessed-?”

The girl squirmed into her couch, but made an affirmative noise.

“Since he confessed to you, did he ever pressure you? Ask for more?”

“…no.” She pulled her legs up and leaned back further into the couch. “No, nothing of the sort. If anything, he is more at ease around me.” She smiled and her voice dropped to a softer tone. “He actually has a number of very endearing habits I have previously overlooked. He is generous to his friends, he is polite to strangers and I have seen him being very kind to children. His humor is often accidental, so I need to refrain from laughing at him, frequently. Nevertheless, he does not take it the wrong way when I laugh. Often, it will even break his embarrassment when he sees me smile at one of his _faux pas_. Overall, it feels as if our friendship remained and has possibly even strengthened.”

He hummed and she pictured him nodding. “So, when we last spoke, you said he sounded fearful – and I felt that you had not been overly joyful at what happened, yourself. How do you feel about all this, today?”

“Well, I have tried to avoid the topic, but Kanji-kun appears to-“

“Sorry, dear, I meant how _you_ , yourself, feel.”

“Ah. I feel… I feel fine? Normal. Well. I do most of the time.”

There were a few ticks of silence, another creak of shifting leather and her grandfather softly prompted, “…but...?”

“But...” She sighed. “He sometimes looks at me oddly. Like he has never seen me before. Or...” She struggled to find the words, trailing off and remaining silent.

A soft, thoughtful sound was on the other side, and finally the elder Shirogane supplied, “Like he very much likes you? Enjoys your presence? Like he might even hold a romantic interest?”

She hesitated a long moment after his remark, finally closed her eyes and very softly said, “Yes. The… the latter.”

“And you wonder what this tells us about you?”

“Well, yes?” Naoto huffed a sigh. “I fear I am on the verge of just leading him on. After all, it was I who shied away from exploring the possibility of a relationship with him. It was I who is unsure how to handle all of this. Still… I ... I think I like it, Grampa.” She stared at the table before her, running a hand through her hair. “I very much like it. It makes me feel special,” she murmured softly.

“Well, it has only been two weeks, dear. Give him time. Give yourself time. His feelings may still change, now that he gets to spend more time with you, so there is nothing there to feel intimidated about.”

“Could my own feelings change? I have not noticed his affections for over a year, and even now that I know, I am not sure what to make of my own emotional compass…”

“Dear, it will be all right. Do not approach your time with him to make yourself fall in love with him, or for him to fall out of love with you. Spend it as _time with him_. Nothing aside form that really needs to be on your mind.” The smile returned to his voice. “Besides, I can wait a few more years for great-grandchildren.”

The next few minutes dissolved into embarrassed outrage on the side of the blue-haired girl, and far too much happy laughter from the man who raised her.


	2. Noticed, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter WILL contain spoilers for part three of A Bit Closer - White Day!  
> I strongly suggest you head over to [http://atelierMuse.storenvy.com/](https://tinyurl.com/gqp5ml4) and pick up the digital doujinshi or a printed version of the three stories at [their store](https://tinyurl.com/y7x4gbg9) before reading this chapter.
> 
> This one was written for Simon, who is super-awesome! *hearts*

 

If nothing else, this was… this was a case. At least, thinking of it as a case, which needed perpetration and investigation heled. If Naoto approached it like one; and she knew she had the means of doing so and wrapping her head around matters in that manner; then what she needed to do was research romantic gestures and notions.

Her eyes slid to the box, knowing she still had five of the chocolates left.

The… the chocolates Kanji-kun had made for her. Himself. In great, painstaking detail. By hand.

Naoto shook her head _. No. Distractions_. All this was doing was bring her away from her goal – finding out where she stood. Where he stood. Where they stood towards one another, as it were.

She got off her couch to put the remaining chocolates into the fridge. They would be well out of sight there and she could focus better. Especially now that her tea had finished steeping. Yes, now she could _focus_.

Returning to the living room, she opened her laptop. A new text file was opened and she saved the blank document under the name ‘chocolate.txt’.

Then she opened the search engine and entered the phrase ‘valentine’s day’. The images at the top of the search exploded in pastels of mostly red and pink; shopping pages tried to hawk last-minute delivery for forgetful husbands; and it took a few moments of scrolling before she reached pages offering outlines of the historic background and possible meanings instead of shopping offers.

Anything seemingly relevant ended up copied into the text file.

After about thirty minutes of roaming, she closed the browser and turned her attention back to her document. It really was more of a refresher course for her. Having never participated in the celebration of this day – and having passed herself off as male when interacting with others – she had dodged most of this custom.

The difference between _giri-choo_ and _honmei-choo_ stood out to her, and the girl pondered: What had been his intent when Kanji presented these to her? Where they simply obligation chocolates? _Giri-choco_ , given because he felt he needed to at that time? The ones he would give to … no. No, that was not right. Boys generally gave _no_ chocolates at all. This was the day reserved for a girl to capture the _boys’_ attention. So that alone made it clear that the intent had not been _giri_ , but instead _honmei_.

Considering this option, she felt a bewildering mix of excitement and fear storm up inside of her.

Certainly, there had been the confession in the thickly falling snow a month ago, but this… this somehow make the situation so much more _real_.

Kanji Tatsumi _liked_ her.

What had been an abstract; just a part of knowledge tucked away in her mind, had grown to be something manifested and very real. This no longer simply was sipping canned hot chocolate by the riverside gazebo, or hanging out after class to study. This was now something she could not ignore.

Naoto picked up her mug and stepped to the window. Sipping from her lukewarm tea, she studied the street outside her apartment. It was a very quiet part of Inaba and she only saw few people hurrying along home. Most, she mused, went to be with a loved one _._

 _Oh dear_. Had Kanji-kun expected to spend the evening with her? She had not even asked him; she found herself overwhelmed by the Featherman-Masks he had created out of different kinds of chocolate for her.

Trying to swallow the lump in her throat, she picked up the phone and hit speed-dial.

The call connected almost instantaneously. “Good evening, my dear.” Her Grampa sounded excessively amused. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“I am delighted to be such a source of amusement to you,” she replied drily.

“Well, I had expected a call from you all week long, if I am being honest. But it seems rather late at this-“

“Let me stop you here. I had not even considered getting Kanji-kun chocolates, Grampa.” She sighed, drank deeply from her tea and turned back to her couch. “I’ve not been involved in propositioning chocolates to anyone for years now. You dislike chocolate and while it may have been negligent of me to never do so; we did not offer chocolates to anyone at the estate.”

“That is true. Mind you, I am sure Yakushiji would love to get chocolates from you one of these years, dear. He cares a great deal for you.”

“Noted. I shall think of it next year.”

“So if your call is not one to request help in picking out a Valentine’s Chocolate for young Tatsumi-kun, what is on your mind?”

“I’ve been the one receiving chocolates.”

“Oh.” His mirth vanished. “I would have thought the girls at your school would have, by now, stopped…?”

 _Girls…?_ “Hm? Pardon?”

“You said you received chocolates. I remember how much this troubled you last year.”

“Oh… OH!” She gave a wry laugh. “Yes, I certainly did receive chocolates. I re-distributed them amongst my friends.”

“Out of sight of the girls who were hopeful, I take it?”

“ _Yes_ , Grampa, I learned from what happened last year.” She rubbed her cheek; just the memory of the slap she had caught from one of her _fans_ being enough to make her skin prickle. “But, ah, that was not what I meant.” She hesitated. “Kanji-kun gave me chocolates, Grampa.”

There was a much longer pause now. Finally, she heard the creak of leather and the light clinking of ice against glass as he set his _aperitif_ down. “That is somewhat unexpected.”

“To put it mildly, Grampa.”

“Did he gift anyone else…?”

“I tried to check without asking, but it seemed I was the only recipient.”

“I see.”

“And… these are hand-made.”

“You think so?”

“It is unlikely he found a store which sells Featherman-Ranger Ultra-masks made of four different kinds of chocolate.”

There was another prolonged silence. “That sounds quite elaborate. Send me a picture.”

“You are treating this as a joke,” Naoto quietly sulked. “This is not a matter of amusement, Grampa.”

“The word you are looking for is impressed, not amused.” She frowned; the smile was quite evident in his voice still. “So. A young man, who previously admitted to-“

“-a certain level of attraction-“ she hastily supplied.

“- admitted to a _substantial_ level of emotional attraction towards you, dear, has spent some considerable amount of time to custom-create chocolates for you; which reflect one of your main personal interests. Does that sound correct?”

She made a slightly distressed but affirmative sound.

The older man echoed the assertion. “And would you not yourself conclude that it takes a certain level of both reflection on his part, as well as creativity and care, to put such a present together?”

“Yes. Well. Valentine’s Day is for the woman to-“

“My dear?”

She stopped. “Yes?”

“Valentine’s Day, and the whole means in which it is celebrated, is deeply entrenched into classical gender roles. Thank about it.” He did give her a moment to reflect then.

It was true. The advertisements  she reviewed today are directly geared towards women. Men would be unlikely think about giving chocolates under any normal circumstance under the banner of this day.

“And then,” he continued, “think about what you have told me of the dynamic you and Tatsumi-kun have.” With a mild laugh, he acknowledged another sound of distress from his granddaughter and continued. “He is trying to win your …affections. Hesitantly. Shyly. Fearing rejection. Moreover, if last year was any indicator, he knew you would have suitors on this day trying the very same. The chocolate is a request to be noticed and an attempt to stand out.” He paused and let his words take hold. “What, would you say, what does this behaviour classically sound of?”

Naoto refused to sound petulant and tried her outmost to remain professional. That he could not see her flush only made it easier. “It would be the classical behaviour of love-stricken imbecility. Or a teenaged… girl…” She trailed off, her eyes widening. “Of course. He had confessed under duress last month. It was not on his terms, or in the setting he had in mind.”

“Precisely. Take today as his actual confession to you.”

“He said it meant nothing; that he simply wanted to do this for me…”

“Well, dear, I am not sure your _swain_ is a very good liar, if he said that.”

“He is not my suitor, grandfather,” she said stiffly, “and he is a _very_ _bad_ liar.”

Both chuckled lightly.

“Well then, my dear. How do you feel about it?”

“I am not sure…”

“Come now. Speaking of bad liars.”

Naoto blushed furiously. “I… I cannot discuss this matter with you.”

“Ah, my darling child is growing up and starting to be embarrassed of old Grandpa Shirogane now, I see,” he teased good-naturedly.

“You are not old,” she said habitually, “and… I am not sure I can admit to myself yet how this feels.”

“ _That_ is a fair assessment. Give yourself some time. He will not need an immediate reaction, especially not if he was comfortable with you for the past weeks and still felt he could do this for you.” Leather creaked, glass clinked and she heard him sip from his drink. “But if you do wish to respond to him, I think he would appreciate a creative approach by you in return.”

“Like what?”

He chuckled and set his glass down again. “It would not be _your_ creative approach if I were to tell you what to do. In addition, you said you still had some soul searching to do.” She heard the smile in his voice as he continued. “Further, _I_ need to prepare for an upcoming trip with Yakushiji, so I will let you go for today. Whatever you decide, dear, I know it will be outstanding.”

“Thank you, Grampa. But you make it sound as if I have already decided.”

“I think you have, my dear.”

They said their farewells and she hung up. Maybe, just maybe, Grampa had been right. Had seen it before she herself had. With a frown she tried to pry from her actions and words what he has noticed that she had missed for the last weeks. How or when had she changed? When had it been that she decided to… no. She had not decided so far at all. Although now…

She apparently _did_ want to try being in a relationship with her teammate.

And she had no idea where to begin.

A matter like this needed forethought and planning, and, above all, she needed to grain some control; some sense of direction. Pulling her laptop closer, she started to research the most reviewed and currently socially most accepted norm in admitting to attraction.

Valentine’s Day came to mind, however, she had only just missed it. But, maybe…

Opening a new search window, she reviewed ‘White Day’. After all, if Kanji could be uncommon, why not her?

 

**One Week Later**

 

This evening found her sitting in her apartment alone, after Rise and Kanji had cleared out after a study session. She stared, unseeing, at the table, which had hosted her friends only half an hour ago. What was on her mind was not them; it was her last conversation with her grandfather.

As she glanced where Kanji had been sitting, right beside her, she felt her stomach suddenly flutter and clench in shot succession. Naoto’s hands flew to her midsection in surprise. _What was that? Just the thought of-!_ The sensation repeated itself almost immediately.

“Oh… oh no.”

She needed to act. White Day could be the release she needed, even if it broke with established gender roles - and she was unsure if she could ensure eleven more months of carrying her stomach in knots. The feeling had started to take a hold on her and she could not dislodge it.

The main question now is: How to best approach the problem? The tradition of not needing to voice any potentially embarrassing words aloud was covered neatly by presenting a gift to the man or woman you approached. There was always still the chance, even if slim, that the chocolates had not meant as much as she now thought, that his passions had cooled since he … since he confessed.

No, thinking like this would not have any tangible results. She had made up her mind. She wanted to try and enter a relationship. And the accepted means of doing so involved a gift of fruit, chocolates or candy. Neither of which she had ever really seen Kanji with. He did eat healthy, but he was not directly obsessed with any particular treat she could think of. Topsicles were out; and she lacked the artistic skill to create something with Topsicle sticks.

Going to fetch some more tea, she glanced at her recycling containers and spotted a small cardboard box. Kanji or Rise must have cleaned up at some point before they left, because she knew she had not thrown away anything. Especially not a box of… animal… crackers?

_Animal crackers!_

Naoto scrambled for the box and rushed back to her laptop. Looking up the brand name and remembering that Kanji enjoyed finding penguins, she wondered if they maybe sold novelty boxes of only penguins. Alas, no such luck, the company seemed to pride itself on the rarity of that specific cracker.

Well, that would not be a huge problem. She could still simply buy up boxes and remove the needed crackers from them.

Hunting down a fan site on which enthusiasts discussed the brand and even reviews of approximate contents of boxes, Naoto started to run a few simple calculations.  If she wanted to full a box of approximately the same size as Kanji had presented to her, it would possibly be in two rows of three boxes each, making it six boxes. She could easily take the empty container and find a decorative box that would fit them.

All she needed to do was order the needed amount of boxes to reach the needed amount of penguin crackers to fill six boxes, and pick out the penguins, naturally.

To avoid waste, she could possibly gift the uneaten, re-boxed crackers. Yu-senpai had mentioned frequently that snack time at the day-care was sometimes spoiled by a child not having a snack packed by their parents, so this might be a good place to start. With that many active young children, they would surely be eaten in no time.

The order should arrive in a week, giving her a lazy two weeks to sort out the penguins and ready the gift.

 

**Two Weeks Later**

 

Kneeling before only four of the needed six boxes filled, Naoto pinched her eyes shut and reached for her phone. The contact needed was saved to the phones’ memory, even if not as a speed dial number.

Anxiously the girl waited for the call to connect. It was relatively late in the day; her contact might be working. Or be out with friends _. And maybe this was a bad idea and I should hang up befo_ \- A sharp klick sounded as the call connected.

“Naoto-kun! I thought you were mad at us and –“

“If I answer your questions, Rise-san. Will you promise to not reveal my answers to anyone?”

“Oh, wow, really?! Yes, of course, sure!”

“Further, if I do, will you promise to finish this project with me?”

“Eer, well, without knowing what it is you are doing; I mean, maybe I cannot help?”

“It would be well within the scope of your abilities, I assure you.”

“O-okay...?”

“Finally, if you break your word regarding secrecy, you might ruin not only _our_ friendship, but cause Kanji-kun… some amount of unrest.”

“Naoto, you are starting to freak me out now…”

“Do we have an agreement? Can you uphold your end of this bargain?”

“...okay. Fine. Yes. What the hell is going on, Naoto?”

“Please come over to my apartment right away. I will explain in detail here. The long and the short of it is simply, that I am running out of time to prepare my White Day gift for Kanji-kun and I need assistance. I will remind you that I am holding you to your promise of clandestineness.”

“Wait, _wait_! White Day gift?! Naoto-kun, you-“

“Please come over as soon as you can.”

She hung up, sighed and opened the next box. She simply had to find a way to make this work. Two more days. Two more boxes to fill. She simply had to find a way to make this work.


End file.
